Nicholls State University

Geomatics Mission Statement

The mission of the Geomatics program is to provide its graduates with a high-quality surveying and mapping education, to enhance their professional competency, and to advance the field of Geomatics through research and outreach. The mission includes the development of Geomatics professionals as land surveyors, construction surveyors, and mappers and planners—the core of what is needed to rebuild New Orleans and coastal Louisiana.

Nature of Program

The Bachelor of Science degree program in Geomatics is designed to offer college level preparation for recent high school graduates and for those already working in the field of land surveying to meet the educational requirements for registration as a Professional Land Surveyor in the state of Louisiana. The program is based on standards necessary to attain accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

How will your program use the prize money to engage your students with other professionals, introduce them to both historical and new technology, and promote licensure?

We believe the future of the profession depends on exposing high school students early to the various career pathways that exist by pursuing a Geomatics program. To that effort we need to have a constant working relationship with STEM-related high school teachers, counselors, and technology coordinators. These mentors are the gateway to the students who are interested and who have the prerequisite background to pursue a Geomatics-related discipline. Our first and foremost goal is to educate high school teachers on the importance of the surveying profession. We plan to host a workshop to introduce high school teachers to basic surveying, GNSS, GIS, and photogrammetry and remote sensing. We will help develop lesson plans to incorporate surveying techniques in their math and physics courses. We plan to have a one-day follow-up session either at their facility or at our labs to talk about their successes and problems incorporating surveying techniques into their lesson plans. These sessions would create a continuous working relationship between our faculty and high school teachers.

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